Efficient, resilient energy in the age of AI

As emerging technologies like artificial intelligence place unprecedented demands on the U. S. power grid, University of Idaho and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) researchers are combining their expertise to ensure power systems that deliver electricity to customers remain stable, secure and resilient. This helps assure a reliable power supply for homes and businesses in communities across the nation.

INL intern and University of Idaho electrical engineering doctoral student Derrick Agbenya is using advanced computer simulation techniques to study how emerging power systems, like those planned for data centers, can integrate energy from various sources to meet increasing demand and withstand grid disruptions.

“We have to increase our generation capacity,” Agbenya said. “As electrical loads increase, it’s not just businesses and data centers at risk of a blackout. Residential areas are impacted. We have to explore new methods to provide reliable power for everyone.”

Agbenya is using INL’s Digital Real-Time Simulators (DRTS) at the Power and Energy Real-Time Laboratory to combine simulated electrical, thermal and mechanical power systems that are integrated with INL’s microgrid test bed which is located at the Energy Systems Laboratory. The DRTS allows Agbenya to see how the microgrid system performs in a computer simulated environment using different power sources.

Microgrids are small, localized power systems that can operate independently from the large , regional grids. By generating, storing and distributing energy close to where it is used, microgrids improve efficiency and support specialized energy needs, especially in remote communities.

Agbenya’s microgrid integrates electricity generated from nuclear and solar resources using batteries for long-duration energy storage. The research evaluates systems that provide electricity directly to a customer or data center, as well as systems that supply power for the broader electric grid. The goal is to understand how advanced energy technologies, like solar and nuclear, can improve reliability and resilience for customers and for the electric grid, and provide an affordable supply of energy.

The project examines how these advances technologies can support future high-demand applications such as AI-driven data centers. By including nuclear in his simulated power system, Agbenya is providing consistent power supply, while solar arrays and battery energy storage systems enhance operational flexibility, including adding extra power when there’s more demand. The solar arrays and battery energy storage systems can also disconnect from the larger grid entirely and supply electricity on their own, a capability known as islanding that can help maintain power during an outage.

Agbenya is specifically looking at small modular reactors (SMRs), which are nuclear reactors with advanced safety features. Their smaller size makes SMRs easier to assemble closer to the areas that need them. SMRs can be integrated with various sources of energy, including hydropower — an important power source in Idaho.

Using the DRTS, Agbenya can simulate how his microgrid configuration will behave under real-world conditions that could otherwise lead to outages and equipment loss. He can apply faults, or abnormalities in electric current, at random and even recreate historical events to assess how his system will respond. The DRTS can also simulate how real equipment might respond during environmental changes and conditions. SMRs are currently being tested at INL under these conditions.

Studying how these advanced systems respond to extreme events — including equipment failures, cyberattacks and sudden changes in demand — reduces the need for costly physical prototypes and field testing, and supports the development of more resilient, efficient and reliable energy systems.

For Agbenya , the best part of his internship has been exploring INL’s laboratories and facilities, and seeing real power equipment up close.

“Some of my past research included simulations using power systems I’d never even seen before,” Agbenya said. “At INL, it’s incredible to see the equipment you’re working with up close. Being able to test these systems in a realistic environment and work with technology that utility companies can actually use is fascinating.”

The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s electrical infrastructure. The research is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity, which supports efforts to stabilize, optimize and grow the electricity system to ensure the grid delivers affordable, reliable and secure energy to the American people . Combining expertise from University of Idaho and INL, researchers are developing energy tools and strategies that can be deployed by utilities across the country.

“We are ushering in a new generation of power systems,” said INL power engineer Jeremiah Gilbert, Agbenya’s mentor. “The research provides a playbook for utility companies to apply to their systems. We share what we learn, and they can go rock and roll.”